


Reunión de los hermanos (Reunion of the Siblings)

by The_Lupine_Sojourner



Category: Coco (2017)
Genre: Brother-Sister Relationships, Character Death, Couldn't fit Imelda in and I'm sorry (again), I suck at writing Spanish characters and I'm sorry, Spoilers, Unfortunately Imelda is not in this story, please correct my errors, sister is an OC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 12:58:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13147197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Lupine_Sojourner/pseuds/The_Lupine_Sojourner
Summary: Warning!: Coco spoilers!!!!She was his Hermano. He was her Hermana. They were a team in everything.Then they die.{"Ay, hermana! What are you doing here?!” Comes a voice I hadn’t heard in nearly a year. I whirl and end up screaming again, scrambling up and backwards.“Hermano?!” I stammer out after I recover. A little. It was still very shocking to see my brother as a skeleton, looking like the Sugar Skulls decorating Mexico, and looking hurt and confused. I lick my lips- -that weren’t even there anymore, replaced by smooth bone- -and force myself to normalize my breathing and step closer to Hector"}





	Reunión de los hermanos (Reunion of the Siblings)

My death was an accident. I thought his was, too. 

It wasn’t for nearly a century that I learned I was wrong. 

Now, I am stuck on the other side of the bridge, wondering where he was. And by ‘he’, I mean my brother, Hector Rivera. 

My name is Tonya Rivera, and this is the story of how I died. 

______________

The train station was tiny, with barely anywhere to sit, so I squatted in the corner and waited for my train. When it finally came, I climbed aboard, clutching the letter from Hector in my hand. 

_ Hermana Tonya, _

_ I am writing to ask you a rather large favor; could you meet me at Yucatan? I know it is an incredibly large favor, but...I want to come home. I’m getting tired of touring, and I hope you are willing to do one last partidario for your hermano.  _

_ Looking forward to our reunión,  _

_ Your loving hermano,  _

_ Hector _

I hadn’t even needed to read the entirety of the letter before I was out the door. I could read my brother’s regret and eagerness to be home, but also his tentativeness regarding his reception, acknowledging that we may or may not be happy to see him again after nearly a year on the road. He knew we had every right to be mad at him, and that alone made me leap up and head out to the station, where I sit and wait as the train slowly rolls to a stop.

I stand. Five minutes later, I was on my way and suddenly feeling tired, so I sit down and let my eyes close. 

I was jolted awake as the train lurched violently to the side, with screams and panicking voices. 

“We’re going down!” I heard a conductor shout. “Abandon the train! We’ll land in the water!” It was too late, however, as I came fully awake, weightless as the train plummeted to the earth. Someone’s suitcase then crashed into my skull. 

It was the last thing I remember in the Land of the Living. 

______________

Next thing I know, I am slowly coming awake, and feeling  _ really _ weird. Lighter, like I’d lost a lot of substance. When my eyes eventually opened, I find the blanket over me oddly lumpy and... _ sunken _ . I then made the mistake of lifting the blanket. 

I screamed, loud and long, scrambling off the bed and examining myself once again. My shaky hands been divested of all flesh, blood, and tendons. My entire body was no more than a skeletal shell of the woman I had been. Only the pearly white joints and bones remained. I collapsed in shock and went to hug myself, only to find my middle vastly narrower than it had been last I remember, my dress now hanging loosely over my body so badly, it nearly falls off. It was all too much and I let my arm fall to my sides, where they felt more normal.

“Ay, hermana! What are you doing here?!” Comes a voice I hadn’t heard in nearly a year. I whirl and end up screaming again, scrambling up and backwards. 

“Hermano?!” I stammer out after I recover. A little. It was still  _ very _ shocking to see my brother as a skeleton, looking like the Sugar Skulls decorating Mexico, and looking hurt and confused. I lick my lips- -that weren’t even there anymore, replaced by smooth bone- -and force myself to normalize my breathing and step closer to Hector. 

“I know, I know.” Hector murmurs softly when I give up all pretense of control and hugged him. “It’s quite the shock, eh?” I nod blearily, so out of it I couldn’t register how odd and unnatural the hug felt. For the briefest moment, everything was okay. 

Then I opened my eyes. Hector was still a skeleton, but he was smiling softly at me. “Your markings are  _ muy bonito _ ,  _ mi hermana _ .” He remarks, kissing my forehead with those bony lips. I swallow, part of me amazed I even  _ could _ swallow. 

“ _ Gracias, hermano.” _ I mumble absently, then pull away. “¡ _ Espera un segundo _ !” I cry. “Why are you here?!” I ask, feeling stupid that I was just  _ now _ asking this question. Hector frowns.

“Food poisoning.” He grumbles, patting the part of the spine that would’ve been behind his stomach when he was alive. “Chorizo.” I frown. 

“When?” He shrugs. 

“A few hours ago.” I pale. 

“What?!” He shrugs. 

“I ate bad chorizo, hermana.” I scoff. 

“That’s  _ not _ the issue!” I retort hotly. I sigh heavily and have to sit down on a nearby cot. “We- -we’re dead!” I add blankly, the thought not truly processing just yet. My brother puts his bony hand on my...collarbone and shoulder blade comfortingly.

“But,  _ mi hermana _ , we are not gone.” Hector assures me. “We are in _ la tierra de los muertos _ , and, long as our family remembers us and puts our photo on our  _ ofrenda _ , we will remain- -”

“Alive, I know.” I interject. All my life, we’d put family members on our  _ Ofrenda _ , and been told of their lives, so they could come visit. Now, I could only hope Imelda and the other Riveras would put our photo up so we could visit. 

___________________

“Next!” The security officer calls, and Hector and I approach and turn to be scanned. The device gives off both a  _ ding _ and a  _ error _ noise. Hector and I look at each other as the officer frowns. “Says here only the  _ señora  _ has a photo in the  _ Ofrenda _ .  _ Lo seinto, señor. _ ” We both recoil. 

“What?” Hector breaths. “B-but…” I but where my lip had once been. Even after nearly six months, I was still not completely over my new form. “There...there must be some mistake.” He mumbles desperately. The woman sighs resignedly, and turns to my brother. 

“I am truly sorry, sir, but...no photo, no crossing the bridge. These computers are linked to all Ofrendas. If you were on one, it would show up.” She explains. I put my hand on his shoulder blade. 

“Vámonos, hermano.” He pushes my hand off. 

“No, no, no.” He protests, shoving me toward the gate. “Go. You go, and you have fun.” I shake my head. 

“If you aren’t coming, there is no fun to be had, hermano.” I assure him, smiling. Hector tries to shove me again and I just let him try before grabbing his wrist. “ _ Te lo prometo, no me divertiría sin ti _ .” He groans. He always took me more seriously when I spoke pure spanish. 

“...” I grab his hand and haul him up. 

“ _ Vámanos _ .” I insist. Hector finally concedes, and lets me lead him away. “It’s not worth it.” 

And yet...we tried every year. Or rather, Hector did. I just happened to go along with whatever plan he concocted. 

I would always follow him. 

Always. 

____________________

**Translations**

(Mi) Hermana = (My) Sister

(Mi) Hermano = (Mi) Brother

Muy Bonito = Very pretty

¡Espera un segundo! = Wait a second!

Gracias = Thanks/Thank you

La Tierra de los Muertos = The Land of the Dead

Señora = Madam

Señor = Sir

Lo siento = I’m sorry

Vámanos, Hermano = Let’s go, brother.

Te lo prometo, no me divertiría sin ti = I promise you, I would not have fun without you.

  
  



End file.
